Galway GAA Discussion Thread #2

I says

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119278336#Comment_119278336

Correct I agree with you too much wiggle room.

gammygils

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119277467#Comment_119277467

Reckon it was and I say fair play to him, I hope he connected. I would have done the same thing myself as a player if I saw one of my team mates being eye gouged regardless of the consequences. And the other cowardly non panel Armagh scumbag who wrapped his arms around Jack Glynn from behind and wrestled him to the ground to be kicked and trod on should also have been cited.

CCCC are a fcukin disgrace

washman3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119277973#Comment_119277973

Sweeney should get a medal for clocking Tiernan Kelly.

I would be fairly disappointed if a team-mate watched Comer being eye-gouged and stood idly by.

Kelly cleared and rightly so. Actually, he is owed an apology.

cosatron

The kk performance gives me hope for today in that hopefully we can pull out a performance like that having under performed in recent games but limerick won't be as bad as clare. Here's hoping for a good performance. Hon galway

cosatron

We got the performance but not the result. Bad wides and no options on the bench a killer but very proud of them.

I honestly don't want to see Cooney starting as our CF next year.

Complete waste of space. Hit the bloody defender with a free for the second time in three games... Laughable stuff.

Finally managed to hit his 9th point from play in his 8th game.

Two bad turnovers in the second half when it was crucial and was done in the air once or twice from good balls near the end. I don't think he caught one puck out all season. He's just a constant minus in the +/- ranking.

I'm not seeing anything different from Shefflin so far, certainly wouldn't say we're well coached.

The one thing you wouldn't want Limerick to do is win easy puck outs short, and we pretty much gave them free reign while our lads haven't done any break down scenarios on ours and are like headless chickens with them.

I certainly wouldn't agree we got a performance either, if that's us performing and hitting nearly 20 wides and losing we're certainly not up to much.

Jizique

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119285584#Comment_119285584

Backs were brilliant, keeper much better on puckouts, some of the wides were criminal though - incredible effort, can always pick out errors and Fahy made a bad one shortly after coming on, Limerick got frees a good bit easier esp in H2

cosatron

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119285584#Comment_119285584

Considering we were level at the end of normal time and coen had a chance to go 1 up and hit the post and with limerick taking of 4 of there 6 starting forwards, in my opinion it was a good performance

I says

Didn’t get the questionable calls today but 5 wides in the first 5 minutes and 3 wides in 2nd half injury time cost us. And a dreadful free from cooney. Fair play to Henry he now knows what he has and hasn’t to work with. After the tragic death of his brother in March I doubt anyone would have begrudged him if he stepped away from the Galway job. Limerick are beatable. If we find a couple of scoring forwards for next year we’ll be in business. Flynn not at the races at this level anymore and cooney too hot and cold. Daithi was immense again.

Brendan Bendar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119285698#Comment_119285698

Good call, dude.

Our lads didn’t do a Clare and not show up.

Not taking their chances screwed them, not lack of effort or spirit.

They will be back .

PeggyShippen

Yeah alot of positives from that game for Galway. Some great play in the backs but ultimately when the game was there to be won they couldn't do it. Limericks belief is unbelievable and they take the right option im the last 5 mins. Hannon and Morrissey in the backs especially. It's composure that Galway have yet to show.

Galway goalie was excellent. Some great puck outs in that second half. It would have been interesting if Galway could have gone up a couple of points.

Shefflin lost his own composure on tbe sideline. That seeped through to the team a little bit I feel. He was right about 1 sideline. It was a Galway ball,definately but he shouldn't have completely lost it. That's pressure. As a player he never lost composure. He did today for certain and he said something about Kyle Hayes which was nasty. It infuriated Kinnerk who isn't a guy to get riled. Limerick will beat Kilkenny now. Chalk it down.

Girly Gal

What was the final wide count in the finish, an awful lot of bad sides especially in the first half, Limerick were there for the taking today, but we just weren't able to take our chances. Best performance of the year, but, still wouldn't think this team will do anything next year.

I says

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119285777#Comment_119285777

That’s a will to win from Henry. Nothing wrong with that shows he cares.

Brendan Bendar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119285777#Comment_119285777

Hmmmm…. Wouldn’t put big money on Limerick, Pegster.

That one stung a bit more than usual. Couldn't fault the quality of passing, work rate, passion etc, but some of those wides were desperate. Limerick were there for the taking. Was sitting about 10 rows back from Shefflin, and apart from a few incidents he wasn't going nuts. More auld media hype shíte. Realistically we need a few more coming through each year from the underage set-ups.

Could leave today feeling proud though, and hope the lads from the other ends of the county do us proud next Saturday.

Galwayguy35

Thought Eanna Murphy has a good game, although maybe I'm a bit biased being a Woodford man!

mjp

Great performance from our lads today but just fell short and the strength of limericks bench showed at the end. What I would add though is that we need to adapt our style of play to the short stick passing game through the lines to reflect how Clare limerick and the possession game of hurling has changed to. The days of pucking long balls into forwards to win 50/50 balls is gone in the game and especially when we don't have many ball winners in the air outside of Whelan.

We didn't do too badly playing through the lines but it was obvious that we aren't as far down the line or as comfortable playing this style of play as likes of limerick who are 4 years perfecting this. Think we have the ball playing hurlers who can adapt to this style of play but need to work on it during the league.

Murphy's puck out we're good throughout the game but thought we resorted to long aimless balls into FF line from 60 minute onwards which we didnt get much joy from.

threeball

Got a much better performance than I was expecting today. Having no subs cost us and it's not a case of the hurlers not being there, we're just not utilising what's available in the county. No one can tell me there isn't 10 better options than Flynn in the county. Bar the final in 2017 he's barely done a thing.

We played some lovely short hurling today and had we been working on it all year we'd have been better still but we persisted with long ball muck and we reverted to it intermittently today normally losing possession as a result.

The workrate was top notch and we have some of the best hurlers in the game (the Mannions and Joe Cooney were the best players on the pitch today). We just need to add some depth and play the style that suits our skill level and we're as good as anything out there.

jamesieliz

Can I just put a question to the hurling supporters on here about the Galway team performances this year.

I was deflated as usual about the loss yesterday , thinking well this has a familiar ring to it , and I wondered why this should be so.

I thought about all the important matches this year and in every single one of them , from what I can remember, Galway seemed to fade out in the last few minutes and let the opposition take control and dominate the scoring to finish out the match.

Examples ;

Wexford group match - Galway built up handy lead but collapse in final few minutes and hang on for draw.

Kilkenny group match - Galway play solid game, have control entering final few minutes but again implode and only for last controversial free in our favour we scrape a win that we should already comfortably have achieved.

Leinster final - poor enough game by both teams but despite being close on the scoreboard entering the closing stages it’s Kilkenny who finish out the match strongly to secure the win.

Quarter final - again not a great game by either team but Galway have a few points of a lead going into injury time but once more they seem to let the opposition take control and we just hang on by 1 point by the time the referee blows it up.

Yesterday - for 65 minutes we keep it level with the champions but once the game enters injury time we drop away on the scoreboard (from memory seems to be a carbon copy late performance of the 2020 semifinal against the same team).

so my question is , what is the last time you remember us taking over in the last few minutes of a crucial match to win ?

laymansterms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119287514#Comment_119287514

You could say the same thing about the footballers too. Maybe even Connacht Rugby as well.

Even in 2017, i don't remember us overturning a 3/4 point deficit in the last few minutes to go on and win the game. It could be a general Galway / West of Ireland thing?

cosatron

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119287514#Comment_119287514

I dont think yesterday was a poor fade out. We were level on 66 minute and poor execution was our downfall. Bad wides from monaghan, niland and coen hitting the post took the wind out of there sails

laymansterms

I have to say that I really don't understand the constant negativity by some Galway Supporters on here towards management and teams. Even the 15 and 16 yr olds of the minor teams are not spared!

The feeling in Croke Park yesterday in general was very positive towards the team and Henry. They have lost Canning, Harte, Loftus and N Burke from last yr as well as S Cooney to injury. You could see all of those playing a part yesterday if they were available. Far too many wides and the fact that we couldn't buy a free in the second half cost us. We got 1 scoreable free to Limerick's 7!! Our bench was not as strong. We knew that but it will be stronger next year.

Many of those players are better hurlers this year. A lot of the younger players have been rejuvenated. Many looked happy to be squad players but they have been turned into first team players. We have a very mean defense that is a great foundation for next yr. The puckouts and GK have evolved from the league up to yesterday. That is obvious to see. Tactics have evolved also and they also adapt in game, especially in the middle third.

Maybe i'm being ridiculously optimistic, but I think we have had good progress this year overall.

cosatron

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119287766#Comment_119287766

I know it's mad. I think we are in a good place right now with hopefully, mcdonagh, neary, o shea and fleming further on in there development

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119287766#Comment_119287766

Unfortunately this squad is in win now mode.

I think a distinction needs to be made between the hurlers and the footballers.

The footballers really only have Conroy close to leaving, have a strong bench and more underage success recently which should improve that further.

The hurlers haven't brought through any player of high quality since Concannon, a few others are in the maybe bracket for (Glennon, Morrissey, Grealish).

J.Cooney, Burke, Coen, Two Mannions, GMaC, C.Cooney, Flynn, Daithi... All the main players are 30+, I think from them above Flynn is going on 29 and Padraig is around the same or 28 but all of the above are in their last 3/4 years.

I honestly don't see the hurlers getting better in the near future as there's been such little return from all the minor success... Evidenced by the complete wash out at U20 level.

They needed to take opportunities like yesterday, there is no building going on here, just a team who will get weaker unless some rabbits are pulled from a hat(and the only obvious one is Niland and thats a few years away yet).

MfMan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119287514#Comment_119287514

This simply comes from the team not being strong enough, in attack particularly. Conor Cooney, gallant though he is, has had a poor season. Ditto Jason Flynn, though obviously injury-hampered. Cianan Fahy is in his first season but doesn't look a natural forward. Brian Concannon, also has had an injury-interrupted season and hasn't fully recaptured his from of previous campaigns. This is an obvious area for improvement next season. Our defence hasn't been at all bad and have only conceded 1 goal in the past 4/5 matches. Though I still have doubts about a couple of them, the form of relative newcomers Eanna Murphy, Grealish, Morrissey, Glennon and Monaghan has been largely encouraging. Limerick have the finest side now in their history but, prior to 2018, their record was no better than our own for 70 odd years. No reason why we can't attain such heights, especially now where we compete on an equal footing with all other counties.

When your team is strong enough all around, it will win, there's no mystery to it. Look at the footballers who now, finally, have good players in all lines of the field. That hasn't happened overnight either.

spurshero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119287766#Comment_119287766

I agree 100 percent … reality is some posters go in about bringing through players as if it’s a matter of great players not being on the hurling panel . It’s not . The best players are on the panel and on the team . We were close yesterday but not quiet good enough when it really mattered . I do think there will be a couple of changes next year and mainly in the forward line ..hopefully club championship a few lads out there put hand up for next season.

johnjohn3423

I think yesterday’s defeat has to be framed in the context of been up against a great team playing at the peak of their cycle.

Galway played extremely well. Turned it around after going 6-1 down after 7-8 minutes with Limerick flying, not an easy thing to do. The game was played on Galway’s terms more or less for the rest of the first half. They went toe to toe with Limerick all though the second half in ordinary time.

It was like the Galway v Tipp semi-finals from a few years ago, small margins either way make all the difference. Like David Burke not having to go off with ordinary time nearly up, or if we had Joe to come in for the last five minutes could have swung the game for us. Limerick just had that bit more composure in the last five minutes.

Going up to the match my only hope was that we would not get hammered off the pitch. All in all, not a bad year for Galway, some of the younger players especially the backs are progressing along nicely. The forwards never really played as well as they could, and we only narrowly got beaten in a semi-final by a very good team. Saying that between the Leinster final, the quarter final and the semi we only put in one good performance.

Next year is looking like make or break for this team with the senior players not getting any younger. I think there is hope for this team yet though. Hopefully Henry stays on.

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119287766#Comment_119287766

Anytime I wrote anything negative about the hurlers it wasn't about the team it was about the management and the style of play they were looking to play. And ultimately I was proven right. Long ball killed us all year and cost us a handy route to the all ireland that KK ultimately benefitted from. We changed things to take on Limerick and gave them their biggest test of the year but changing your style of play in 2 weeks is nearly impossible. Had we done it earlier in the year we'd be meeting Limerick in an all ireland final with all the 3 in a row pressure on their backs.

Same applies to the footballers. I have always said we have great footballers but our management and style of play isn't maximising that. And it still isn't. We're too slow in transition and still have no answer to the short kickouts. Again not the players fault.

If we resolve those issues and get more depth in our squads we can beat anyone in both codes.

Mf 265

You must nt have watched much football this year, we r moving the ball at lighting speed up the field.

I think from general play the footballers are actually ok. But the restarts on both ends are pretty bad.

Having said that Dublin's restarts aren't what they were so the bar has lowered a bit there.

The hurlers have issues with the restarts(on both ends, let Limerick just puck it short too often when they have a concrete plan for progressing) but are also poorly set up in general play.

I felt that so much I actually backed Galway/Kilkenny for the double at the start of the year and I never thought KK had better players, they just get a consistent level of performance year on year.

Anyway time to forget about the hurling.

We have a football semi final to look forward to and if anything, the level of competition should be down a bit on the 1/4.

Games aren't played on paper but I feel Armagh had more about them than Derry have.

They had a good league, Derry didn't and maybe Derry getting through Ulster was just one of those years(like Tyrone winning last year or Tipp winning Munster during Covid).

The soft quarter final might have masked that for another round.

Obviously they'll fancy their chances as well, but I think we have more quality players.

If we get more than 50% of the entire kickouts we'll win.

If we let them win theirs easy and let them win too many of ours kicking to contest, we'll need to be a few points better to make up that loss.